West Wing Reads August 2, 2017

“The Cotton/Perdue Immigration Plan is a Great Start”

– Robert VerBruggen, National Review
Robert Verbruggen argues in the National Review that the RAISE Act championed by the White House, and introduced by senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, addresses two problems in our immigration system: “One, it focuses too little on skills, and two, the part of it that does focus on skills is poorly designed.” He cites an estimate that just 6.5 percent of U.S. immigrants are given their green cards based on their economic merit. “The new RAISE Act would take a sledgehammer to this system, dramatically reducing low-skilled immigration and revamping our system for skilled immigration. It would cut immigration by more than 40 percent immediately, and by half in a decade,” Verbruggen writes.Click here to read more.

————

In Investor’s Business Daily, President of the Townsend Group Red Jahncke writes that “illegal immigration on the southern border has plummeted” under President Trump as “the deterrent effect of actually enforcing immigration law” has taken effect.

————

In Obamacare news, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that insurers on Illinois’ Obamacare exchange have proposed raising rates “by up to 43 percent for Illinois customers” next year. And the New Hampshire Union Leader editorial board writes that the reason insurance companies are lobbying Congress for “bailout” money to prop up Obamacare’s exchanges is because of the law’s “utter failure” to do what it promised.

————

The Washington Times reports on the positive economic news since President Trump took office, saying the stock market is continuing to hit “all-time record” highs, corporate earnings are “beating forecasts at the highest rate in at least nine years,” unemployment is “near historical lows,” “wages are rising,” and U.S. GDP has improved to “a solid 2.6 percent.”